


Bad Things Happen Bingo: Heatstroke

by taylor_tut



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 07:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/pseuds/taylor_tut
Summary: Set when the Hargreeves kids go back in time in season 2. Klaus is forced to train out in the heat and comes in with a wicked sunburn and heatstroke. Luther helps him out and cares for him as best he knows how.





	Bad Things Happen Bingo: Heatstroke

Luther was sitting in the common room and reading a book when he heard the patio door slam. He didn’t bother to look up—he knew that their father had been out of the house all morning and that someone had been training, even if he wasn’t sure who—until he heard Reginald bark an order at him. 

“Number One,” he called curtly, and Luther snapped to attention. He looked up to reply but the words died on his lips when he was greeted with the sight of Reginald standing tall and dragging an extremely sunburned Klaus by the arm, supporting what seemed to be a lot of his weight, which was something that he wouldn’t do unless it were absolutely necessary because Reginald didn’t ever touch them out of care or love. “Attend to Number Four.” 

Luther was off the couch in a hurry, scrambling forward to catch Klaus as Reginald shoved him forward roughly. Klaus winced as Luther’s hands had to grab onto his bright red, angrily sunburned arms. 

“What the hell happened?” he demanded of their father, as Klaus looked too out of it to register the question. However, predictably, Reginald was already out of the room with apparently better things to do. Angrily, Luther focused his attention on Klaus once more. “Jesus,” he couldn’t help but mutter as he felt the intense heat radiating off his bony frame. He’d clearly taken his blazer off some time ago, as his arms were nearly as burned as his face, and there was really no place that he felt comfortable grabbing Klaus where he was confident that it wouldn’t hurt. Instead of trying to find one, he guided him gently to the couch and shouted for help. 

“I told Dad I di’n’t wanna be in the cemetery at night anymore,” he muttered, slurring his words concerningly. “Said I had to do it in the day instead.”

Luther frowned. “You’ve been outside in the sun since you left this morning?” he asked, and Klaus nodded. “It’s like 90 degrees!” 

Klaus chuckled like that was funny somehow. “You bet your ass it is,” he agreed. Thankfully, at that moment, Five blinked into the room. 

“You said you needed—oh,” he interrupted himself with wide eyes, “shit.”

“Get Pogo,” Luther commanded, “and Grace.” Before Five could even turn to blink away, he was rethinking. “Actually, fuck that; no time. Run a cool shower, then go track them down.” Five nodded obediently, countering his usual oppositional personality, and blinked away. Luther waited until he heard the water to pick Klaus up, ignoring his protests, and carrying him to the bathroom. Five was gone by the time he got there, so he wasted no time stripping Klaus down to his underwear and setting him in the tub after checking to ensure the water was just lukewarm. Klaus whimpered under the cool spray of the shower, but even though it was too cold on his fevered body and stung his burned skin, there was an undercurrent of relief from the pain and oppressive heat that was undeniable in his face. 

“We’ve got you,” Luther reassured, though he wasn’t sure why. 

“Too cold,” Klaus objected of the water. Luther bumped the heat minutely, just barely enough to make a difference and definitely not enough to satisfy Klaus completely, but he relaxed the tiniest bit. 

“Sorry, but that’s as warm as I can make it right now,” he apologized. It wasn’t often that he was asked to be tender with his siblings—hell, he wasn’t being asked to be tender with Klaus now. He’d been told to deal with him, not to make him comfortable, but no matter what the rest of them thought of him, he tried his best to care. They were all just so goddamn different, and to try to love each of them in the way that they needed was a lot to ask for a child who had barely been shown how to give or receive any at all. Their solutions, each of them, to not being loved enough was to try to need to be loved less, and it meant in this moment that Luther had no fucking clue what Klaus was feeling.

“Thank you,” Klaus managed through chattering teeth. At least, Luther thought, even if it wasn’t enough for a lifetime, he could care enough to get them through tonight. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he dodged anyway.

 


End file.
